Viswambhara
| Author | C. Narayana Reddy |
|---|---|
| Original title | విశ్వంభర |
| Language | Telugu |
| Genre | Long poem |
Publication date | 1980 |
| Publication place | India |
| Awards |
|
Viswambhara (transl. The Earth) is a 1980 Telugu-language philosophical long poem by C. Narayana Reddy.[1] It is written in free verse and was an outcome of Narayana Reddy's meditation on the meaning and mystery of human existence.[2] It deals with the theme of universal brotherhood and the quest of man for the meaning of life and of the nature of the universe.[3][4]
Viswambhara received wide critical acclaim and is also a part of M.A. degree syllabi in some universities.[5] In 1988, Narayana Reddy won India's highest literary award, Jnanpith Award for the book.[6] He became the second Telugu writer to receive the Jnanpith Award through this work.[7][8] The book also won the Soviet Land Nehru award in 1982.[9] It has been translated into several Indian languages. Amarendra (Dr. C. Narasimha Sastry) translated it into English in 1986.[10] Bhimsen Nirmal translated it into Hindi as Vishwambhara. The Hindi translation won the Sahitya Akademi Translation Award in 1991.[11]
Reception
[edit]Sahitya Akademi appreciated the work noting, "This monumental work in free verse depicts the journey of man through the ages as he strives to attain spiritual, artistic, and scientific excellence."[12] Dr. T. S. Chandra Mouli reviewed the book positively writing, "Viswambhara is a modern epic—Man is the protagonist. Cosmos is the canvas. Time eternal, time continuum plays a vital role in the drama narrated. The poet’s competent handling of the subject and comprehensive delineation, incorporating all momentary moments, extend a sharp edge in making this work a peerless classic."[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Jadavpur journal of comparative literature. Department of Comparative Literature, Jadavpur University. 1986. p. 111.
- ^ Rao, S. S. Prabhakar (2007). The Golden Bouquet. Authorspress. p. 154. ISBN 978-81-7273-382-7.
- ^ History and Culture of the Andhras. Komarraju Venkata Lakshmana Rau Vijnana Sarvaswa Sakha, Telugu University. 1995. p. 238. ISBN 978-81-86073-07-0.
- ^ Natarajan, Nalini; Nelson, Emmanuel Sampath (1996). Handbook of Twentieth-century Literatures of India. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 314. ISBN 978-0-313-28778-7.
- ^ Rāmaśēṣayya, Ji (1992). Viśvambhara anuśīlana: pratiprakaraṇa vivaraṇa granthaṃ, kāvyanirmāṇaśilpa sahitaṃ (in Telugu). Ji. Sujāta.
- ^ "C. Narayana Reddy dead". The Hindu. 12 June 2017. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ "The Jnanpith Award: All the past awardees from 1965 to now". Outlook India. 25 July 2003. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- ^ "Staying true to life". The Hindu. 25 April 2013. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "Profile: C. Narayana Reddy". The South Asian Literary Recordings Project. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
- ^ Narasimhaiah, C. D. (1994). East West Poetics at Work: Papers Presented at the Seminar on Indian and Western Poetics at Work, Dhvanyaloka, Mysore, January 1991. Sahitya Akademi. p. 194. ISBN 978-81-7201-385-1.
- ^ "Akademi Translation Prizes (1989-2015)". Sahitya Akademi. 13 June 2017. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ "Sahitya Akademi Fellowship: C. Narayana Reddy" (PDF). Sahitya Akademi. 6 July 2015. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ T. S., Chandra Mouli (18 April 2008). "(Book Reviews) Dialectics of Man's Evolution : Viswambhara – A Modern Epic". Boloji.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2023.